For DH, the number one attraction of Nashville was the potential ogling of Cowboys in tight jeans, but for me it was the potential of a visit to the Grand Ole Opry. Because of popularity, the Grand Ole Opry abandoned its more intimate downtown theatre (that was also a church in an earlier incarnation) for a larger venue in the suburbs. But in the slower Winter season the show is moved back to the more intimate/authentic Ryman Auditorium and we were fortunate enou...

In the interests of political correctness I think it's important to note that we had no expectation that Kentucky was populated with hillbillies. But when we saw the sign promoting a 'Hillbilly Garden' shortly after crossing into Kentucky state line, we knew we had to make the detour. The head of the hillbilly clan in question is actually a native Kentuckian, ex-actor from California (he did have a speaking part on General Hospital back in the day). H...

Our first non-Route 66 stop in quite some time was right in front of the Worlds Largest Bottle Of Catsup. This was a don't-leave the-car stop for DH but that was because she was googling furiously to find out why it was spelled 'catsup' and not 'ketchup' (catsup was once the predominant spelling). It's sometimes surprising the things that get her riled and, on this day, we were just getting started. Our big destination was going to be Che...

Our time machine trip along Route 66 continues. Just under 90% of the road survives so every now and again we have to try and stitch pieces together but it's a relatively easy drive through American history even if Billy Thunder isn't quite giving us the Caddie experience. We did add satellite radio before we left but DH won't let me tune into the more appropriate 50's and 60's- her music world started and finished with the dreadful 70's. ...

"If you ever plan to motor west,Travel my way, take the highway, that's the best.Get your kicks on Route 66.It winds from Chicago to L.A.More than 2000 miles all the way,Get your kicks on Route 66." Technically Route 66 starts somewhere in Chicago but we're going to join it in Joliet (just south of Chicago) but we’re not planning on doing too many of the larger cities (either because we’ve already been there or are planning to visit later) so ...